1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicular air conditioning apparatus mounted in a vehicle for blowing air into a vehicle compartment that has been adjusted in temperature by a cooling means and a heating means, for thereby performing temperature adjustment of the vehicle compartment, as well as to a temperature control method performed by such a vehicular air conditioning apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a vehicular air conditioning apparatus that is mounted in a vehicle, internal and external air is drawn into a casing by a blower, and after cooled air, which has been cooled by an evaporator that forms a cooling means, and heated air, which has been heated by a heater core that forms a heating means, are mixed together in the casing at a predetermined mixing ratio, the mixed air is blown out from a defroster blow-out port, a face blow-out port, or a foot blow-out port, whereby adjustment of temperature and humidity in the vehicle compartment is carried out.
With this type of vehicular air conditioning apparatus, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-075027, a cool air passage through which air flows that has been cooled by an evaporator, and a warm air passage through which air flows that has been heated by a heater core are formed in the interior of a casing, and together therewith, a movable air guide for changing a flow direction of the warm air is arranged rotatably in an air mixing section in which the cool air and the warm air are mixed. In addition, by causing rotation of the movable air guide, an air flow rate of the cool air, which is blown out from a face opening for blowing air in the vicinity of the faces of vehicle occupants, is adjusted.
However, with the aforementioned conventional vehicular air conditioning apparatus, in the case that a bi-level mode is selected for carrying out blowing of air both in the vicinity of the faces and feet of the vehicle occupants, although the movable air guide can be rotated to blow cool air at a desired temperature with respect to the vehicle compartment, during a vent mode, in the case that maximum cooling is performed for carrying out blowing of air only in the vicinity of the faces of the vehicle occupants, since the warm air passage remains in communication with the cool air passage, warm air continues to be mixed with the cool air, if only at a small amount, so that the temperature of the cool air blown into the vehicle compartment is raised, and thus there is a concern that some discomfort may be imparted to the vehicle occupants.